This is a great walk. It’s part of a much longer one, but I think this is by far the best part. In summary, you start up the top of Mt Dandenong, walk along a summit track, see wonderful views of Melbourne and the suburbs, then descend down to the (site of) Doongalla Homestead. This is now a picnic ground with BBQs and toilets, all in the middle of the bush. Take water and food.
It’s all on the standard Melways, map 66. Go and get it now. Seriously!
Start. Park the car near the Kyeema Memorial. This little road at 66-E1 isn’t named, but some versions show it with the text "substation".
Head Left on Kyeema Track (south-west).
Great views at Burkes Lookout (66-D2). There’s a large metallic frame here, which we call the Metal Bed. No idea what it is.
Keep going on Kyeema Track and you’ll see the large Channel 10 TV tower. Just before the tower itself, there’s an obvious track off to your Right. This is un-named; i.e. there is no sign. Take this track. It skirts around the base of the tower’s fence then starts to zig-zag down the mountain. On the maps this is shown as “Channel 10 Track” (66-D3)
Pretty soon it ‘stops’ at a T-Intersection. Just to confuse you, the sign clearly says you have just descended “Zig Zag Track”. Ah well, must be an older name. Off to the Left, at the T-intersection , is “Channel 10 Track” (signed). Take this. Dalcite Track is off to the Right (ignore this)
The bush now changes quite quickly in a few minutes. It goes from dry forest to almost rain forest! Hello ferns. Pretty soon you hit a multi-track intersection. (66-E4). Just keep going down hill, that is, turn Right. Sadly the signs have been broken here.
Descend this track, still called Channel 10 track, and it’s not long before you see water tanks, then a car park (right) and toilets (left) and you are at Doongalla. The Track becomes a road, does a turn and there’s the lovely Doongalla Homestead Site, with it’s BBQs and tables (66-D5). From the stone steps, near the umbrella-shaped tree, you can see the Ch 10 tower way up there, through the trees.
Some of my photos of this whole area etc are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/artwill/sets/72157622345260203/
Explore here, then down the hill to the 2nd Picnic area, Stables Site (66-C5)
To get back to the car you have at least 3 fun options:
- Return same way: Simply turn around and go back the way you came
- Easy extra bit: Stables area –> Stables Track –> right into Bills Track –> right into Camelia Track –> Doongalla (then as per 1.)
- Bit of a climb, but worth it: start the same as 2. but at end of Bills Track, turn left along Camelia Track –> right into Rankin Track (66-C2). Rankin Tk is a bit of a climb. But not too bad. It stops at Dalcite Track, turn right into Dalcite Tk and soon you are back at the T-intersection, with the sign pointing to Zig-Zag Track. Up Zig-Zag tk and retrace your original descent.
Car to Doongalla should be under an hour, with photo-stops. Bit longer to return as it’s up hill.
